Cloth-cutting apparatus



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I. REENS. CLOTH CUTTING APPARATUS.

No. 435,610. Pgtented Sept. 2, 1890.

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I. RBI-INS. CLOTH CUTTING APPARATUS.

No. 435,610. Patented Sept. 2, 1890.

UNITED STATES PA'rnNT ISRAEL REENS, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

CLOTH-CUTTING APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 435,610, dated. September 2, 1890.

Application filed February 28, 1890. Serial No. 342,105. (No model.)

T0 at whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ISRAEL REENS, of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Cloth-Cutting Apparatus; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to an improved apparatus for cutting cloth, adapted more especially for use in factories where what are known as ready-made garments are manufactured.

Heretofore it has been customary to lay out several thicknesses of cloth, usually not less than eight or ten, upon a large table some twenty or more feet in length, and upon the upper layer of cloth mark out the shapes of the several parts of the garment. Vhen the entire surface of the upper layerof cloth has been thus marked, the marker (commonly using an ordinary U-shaped clamp with a thu nib-screw) secures the edges of the several pieces of cloth at the corners,and perhaps at two or three places on the sides, so as to clamp all the pieces together. He then folds the layers of cloth together into a bundle, which is then carried by an attendant to a cuttingtable to which a cutting-machine is attached, where said bundle is unfolded by the cutter and spread out ready for the cutting implement. These implements are generally of that class wherein the knife is mounted upon a carriage, and which carriage travels upon a track located at the edge of the cuttingtable, so that the cutting-knife may be moved in any position along the entire length or width of the cutting-table.

It is found in practice that a skillful man operating the cutting-machine works faster than a skillful marker, and hence the machine is not worked to its full capacity unless several markers are preparing cloth forone operator. It has therefore been common heretofore to employ four or five persons to mark the patterns upon the cloth which is to be cut on one cutting-machine. In such cases the folded cloth is taken from the markers table and deposited on the floor or on another table in close proximity to the cutter, who, when his table is clear, takes one of the bundles, places it upon the cutting-table, and spreads it out, as before mentioned.

In folding the cloth, moving it from the markcrs table to the cutting-table, and unfolding it upon the latter, it has been my experience that the several layers of cloth become shifted from the position that they origi: nally occupied with relation to each other, so

that some of the parts of the garment will vary from the original patternas, for instance, some pieces may be cut with greater fullness than others byrea-son of the under or inside layers being given folds by the folding of the entire number of layers, which folds it is difficult to detect when the cutter spreads the mass of cloth out before him on the table. It will be manifest that the cutting--inacl1i11e will cut through such folds, and that therefore some parts will not be of the proper shape and others being of the proper general shape will be of a size larger than the pattern. In some cases it is found necessary to throw parts of the cloth awaybecause of this irregular cutting.

I have observed that heretofore the vibration of the cutting-machine and the machinery for operating it is imparted, more or less, to the cutting-table attached thereto. In cutting lightweight goods this vibration is a serious obstacle, as it prevents the operator from cutting straight lines without the exercise of the greatest care on his part, thus requiring more time than would be needed in cutting the same quality of goods on a nonvibrating table. Again, it has been impracticable heretofore to cut six-quarter goods that is to say, goods fifty-four inches widewhen the goods were laid out flat or unfolded, owing torthe fact that the operator of the cutting implement could not properly and conveniently handle the cutting-tool from that side of the table having the track and driving-belts thereon, and the cloth cannot be cut entirely from one side of the table because the operators arm is not long enough to reach to the back or opposite side of the table.

In using \vidc goods heretofore it has been common to double or fold the same in the middle to enable the same to be placed upon narrow marking and cutting tables; but this has the serious disadvantages of increasing the liability of displacement or shifting of the layers in case the marked cloth is moved from a marking to a cutting table, and of producing a waste of material along the line where the cloth is folded, it being obviously impossible to out the cloth close to the folded edge, especially in cases where the number of cloth-layers are numerous and the pile a thick one.

In order to obviate the above objections as well. as to increase the capacity of a given number of machines and workmen, I employ in connection with a machine supported on a frame, which is independent of any table and adapted for the placingof tables at either side of it, a plurality of separate movable marking and cutting tables mounted upon rollers or casters, enabling them to be moved toward or from the machine in any direction. By the use of an apparatus of this kind the layers of cloth to be out are spread upon the several marking and cutting tables when the latter are moved to a distance from the machine and in position for convenience of access of the marker to all sides thereof, the several tables being moved away from the cutting-machine and separated from each other, so that a number of markers may work at the same time on the several tables. After the cloth is marked the tables are moved or shifted to the side of the cutting-machine in position convenient-for the operation of the same therein, and the cutting is then accomplished. Desirably two or more tables are arranged in position adjacent to the cuttingmachine at the same time in order that the cutter may pass from one to the other without waste of time, but if made necessary by lack of room, or for other reason, the tables with the marked cloth thereon may be brought one by one to the cutting-machine.

By the use of my improved apparatus, above described, I can nearly double the capacity of each cutting-machine, for the reason that a skillful operator on the machineis able by the use of my apparatus to handle the work of eight or nine markers, while by the device heretofore used the cutter could only keep up with the work of four or five markers. Furthermore, the work done is much more accurate for the reason that the cloth is operated upon by the cutting devices while resting 011 the same table upon which it was originally marked, so that any shifting or displacement of the cloth-layers, such as occurs in the handling of the same, or shifting the same from a marking-table to a cuttingtable, is avoided.

Another important advantage gained by the making of several cutting and marking tables separate from the frame upon which the machine is supported is that the cuttingtable is thereby relieved from the vibratory movement produced by the cutting-machine, so that more accurate work can be accom- .cables to the shifting-lever.

plished. Furthermore, the apparatus described is of great benefit for the reason that when the marking and cutting tables are made separate from the frame which supports the cutting-machine, said tables are accessible on all sides to the operator, so that tables of much greater Width can be used and wider cloth cut on the same. When movable tables are used, furthermore, the said tables when too wide for cutting entirely from one side thereof may be set a distance from the supporting-frame of the machine sufficient to allow the cutter to enter between the said frame and the table, thereby enabling him to easily operate on that side of the wide table which is nearest the machine.

To illustrate my invention I have shown in Figure 1 a plan view of a machine-supporting frame with four movable tables in close proximity thereto. Fig. 2 is a side view showing two of the tables and the machine in position for cutting. Fig. 3 is an end view showing the tables on either side of the machine-supporting frame In the drawings, A is the main part of an L-shaped frame supported upon standards a and provided with a bracket a upon which the carriage B of the cutting-machine may travel.

Z) is a belt driven from the pulleys b b, which belt through the belt I), which passes over suitable pulleys b conveys power to the cutting-machine.

B is the outing-knife, held in position in a suitable frame b pivotally and movably secured upon the end of a pivotal arm b which latter is secured to the carriage B. These parts of the cutting-machine need not be herein more fully described, as my invention does not relate to any particular form or kind of cutting apparatus.

0 O are cutting-tables comprising suitable frames 0 C and cutting-surfaces c. The tables 0 are mounted upon casters or swinging rollers 0', so as to be easily moved from place to place in the shop and toward and from the cutting-machine.

D is a cable or cord secured over suitable pulleys or bearings below the cutting-face of the table and adapted to be secured to one end of a shifting-lever D, so that a pull in one direction on said cable D will shift the belt I) from the loose pulley to the fixed pulley, and thus apply power to the cutting-machine, while a pull on the cable D in the opposite direction will move the lever D and shift the belt I) back to the loose pulley and thus stop the cutting-machine.

A belt-shifter forms no part of my invention, as the same is old and well known in the art;but for convenience I apply the cable to each of the movable cutting-tables, and when said tables are in position adjacent to the cutting-machines I- attach said shifting- By the use of said cables the operator is enabled to stop and start his cutting-machines from any po- IIO sition about the table, instead of being obliged to leave his work perhaps at one end of the table and travel to the other end in order to grasp the shifting-lever, as is required in the present construction.

The cutting-surface c of the table may be doubled by pivoting the top 0 to the frame and revolving the top so that both sides may be used. WVith such a table the marker lays his cloth thereon in several layers and marks out the pattern for the several parts of the garment to be cut therefrom. He then clamps the cloth securely to the top of the table by any well-known means or device and reversing the top places thereon a second batch of cloth and similarly marks it. hen the table is moved to the cutting-machine the operator proceeds to cut the cloth last marked, and upon completing the cutting thereof he reverses the top of the table, removes the clamps, and proceeds to cut the second batch of cloth. By employing a movable table with a revolving top a lesser number of tables are required and the floor-space necessary to do a given amount of work is thus diminished. It will be obvious that a table with a revolving top having more than two sides may also be employed.

A revolving table having more than one operating'surface is described and claimed in a separate application for patent, Serial No. 321,575, filed on the 27th day of August, 1889.

The cutting-machine B may be fixed rigidly to a frame or standard, instead-0f having a traveling carriage, as necessary with the long tables herein illustrated.

The cutting-machine in an apparatus constructed as above described will be set in the middle of the floorspace devoted thereto, and one or more of the tables will be shifted away from the frame; from either or both sides thereof,into position convenient for the marker or markers. \Vhen four tables only are used, therefore, each table need be moved a relatively short distance away from the supporting-frame each time a lot of cloth is marked and cut, or, in other words, after the cloth on one table is cut the table is shifted outwardly or laterally away from the machine, a new lot of cloth placed thereon and marked, and the table shifted back to its original position. hen the particular arrangement of the tables illustrated is used, therefore, the necessity is avoided of shifting or moving the tables to distant parts of the cutting-floor, or of moving one table away to give place to another.

The part A of the main frame is preferably made flat on its top and of the same height above the floor as the tops of the tables. This construction is of advantage, because the said part A thus forms an extension of the tabletop which is adjacent to the same, and gives a wide level surface upon which the cloth may rest and over which it may be moved when necessary in cutting, it being of course understood that in trimming the smaller pieces of cloth to shape the cutter moves or turns the same on the table with one hand while he moves the cutting-h ead with the other, and thus facilitates the cutting of the cloth. The tables being commonly made wide enough only to take in the width of the cloth to be cut, the pieces which the cutter finds it desirable to slide about or turn on the table in cutting will be liable to extendbeyond or hang over the edge of the table of the usual width, but when the part A of the machine-frame is arranged to form an extension of the table, this is avoided, and the handling of the cloth is facilitated.

I claim as my invention 1. An apparatus for marking and cutting cloth, consisting of a cutting-machine, a sta tionary narrow frame supporting the same, said machine being adapted to operate on both sides of the supporting-frame, and a plurality of marking and cutting tables made separate from the frame and adapted to be placed at either side thereof, said tables being supported on a level surface or floor by swinging rollers or casters, allowing the tables to be moved laterally toward and from the frame, and having continuous or solid flat top surfaces on which the cloth is supported while being marked, and on which the head of the cutting-machine rests and slides in the operation of cutting, substantially as described.

2. An apparatus for marking and cutting cloth, comprising a traveling cloth-cutting machine, a track or way therefor, a narrow frame sustaining the track or way, the said machine being adapted to operate upon both sides of the track or way, and a plurality of marking and cutting tables made separate from the frame and adapted to be placed at either side thereof, said tables being supported upon a level surface or floorby swinging rollers or casters, allowing the tables to be moved laterally toward and from the frame, and having continuous or solid fiat top sur- IIO faces on which the cloth is supported while I C. CLARENCE PooLE, TAYLOR E. BROWN. 

